Animal Welfare

Pork producers are committed to raising and managing pigs with care in all stages of production. Programs exploring the well-being of animals in modern pork production systems include the many facets of pig health, housing, handling and slaughtering practices. As new knowledge is gained, adjustments will be made for the betterment of the animals.

Recent Items for Animal Welfare

Veterinary researchers at Iowa State University recently announced the results of a proof-of-concept study investigating a method for delivering pain medication to piglets through the milk of the mother sow as the piglets nurse....More

When pork producers experience an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in a herd, a common strategy used to stop the disease from spreading is to quickly wean all piglets who have not yet contracted the disease and move them out of the facility. Consequently, some piglets are moving to the nursery as young as 7 days of age. Weaning younger, more vulnerable piglets means extra attention to detail and some tender loving care (TLC) is needed to get pigs off to a good start....More

The Center for Food Integrity’s (CFI) Animal Care Review Panel has examined undercover video released this week. The video is from a Colorado swine farm according to the group that captured it and posted it online. CFI created the Animal Care Review Panel to engage recognized animal care specialists to examine video and provide expert perspectives for food retailers, the pork industry and the media....More

The Des Moines Register brings perspective to a federal judge’s actions last week when a multi-state case against the California egg law was thrown out, possibly resulting in implications for beef, pork and other commodities being blocked from sale in specific states in the future. Six states had asked the court to strike down a California statute barring the sale of eggs there that were produced by hens in cages that did not meet a standard size of at least 116 square inches of space per chicken....More

A panel of farm animal care specialists created to analyze undercover video investigations at livestock farms has examined video from a hog farm in Kentucky. The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) created the Animal Care Review Panel to engage recognized animal care specialists to examine video and provide expert perspectives for food retailers, the pork industry and the media....More